


One More Time

by Once_and_Future



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Canon Era, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-06
Updated: 2020-02-06
Packaged: 2021-02-28 02:48:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,136
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22586626
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Once_and_Future/pseuds/Once_and_Future
Summary: In every effort to avoid Arthur's death, he did not hesitate to erase himself from Arthur's half life. He struggled with every step but still went to the destiny that could not be rewritten."Young warlock, you have seen the end. Now you have the right to choose whether to let it begin, or not. ""I've seen enough," sighed Merlin."Then your choice?""The same."This time, Merlin will never leave halfway.
Relationships: Merlin/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 65





	One More Time

Once upon a time, there was a prince. His name was Arthur.

Prince Arthur is a very beautiful boy. He has shiny golden hair and bright blue eyes. His smile is warm and bright. But people don't like him very much, because young Arthur is a arrogant and naughty child, who likes to play tricks on others.

One day, Arthur and several senior noble children stopped up a servant's child on the road. The child was skinny, dressed in the old clothes of a man with a hole in it. He was carrying a few wild apples picked from the mountain in his front to sell at the market. The little prince and his friends teased him mercilessly. They called him a little beggar, a pauper, and pushed him hard. The apples fell on the ground, rolled around, and were kicked into the sewage ditch by bad boys. Some citizens around them whispered, but no one dared to stop this.

Bending down to pick up a scattered apple, the little prince suddenly proposed excitedly, "let's play archery!" Arthur had seen jugglers perform at the court. They put apples on their heads and let others shoot through them with bows and arrows. This is Arthur's favorite show.

The boys in fancy clothes were all happy to accept the prince's offer. They seized the two arms of the little boy who sold the apple and made him stand still. Arthur put the apple in his hand on the boy's head with a bad smile, but a man grabbed his wrist.

"Hey, come on. That's enough."

"What?"

"You've had your fun, my friend."

That's another skinny boy. He was dressed in the poor clothes of the country people. He looked inferior to the boy who sold apples. But he dared to hold Arthur's wrist and stop the noble prince's action.

The little prince frowned: "do I know you? "

"I'm Merlin." The rustic country boy even reached out to Arthur, as if the prince of a country would really want to make friends with him.

"So I don't know you." "Er...No." "Yet you've called me 'friend'?" "That was my mistake.""Yes,I think so."

"I've never had a friend who could be such an ass. " Said the dark haired country boy cunningly. He is quite complacent about his cleverness.

"How dare you talk to me like this! I am the king's son! " Cried the little prince. His companions immediately let go of the poor boy who sold the apple, and turned to catch Merlin's shoulder. The Knights' sons were strong, but Merlin had no intention of escaping. On the contrary, the little country boy said calmly, "of course I dare. I'm not like you, just going to hide behind the guards and bluff and bluster. I'm braver than you, your highness."

Arthur angrily grabbed Merlin's scarf and raised his fist, but Merlin seemed so calm that Arthur hesitated.

"Dare you make a bet? To prove who is the braver one. " The bold country boy challenged the prince.

"Come on, will I be afraid?"

"Here, put the apple on my head and shoot at it." Said Merlin. So Arthur did what he said.

Ten steps away, Arthur opened his bow and aimed at the apple on Merlin's head. The onlookers were all whispering nervously, but Merlin's expression was very peaceful.

Arthur shouted at him, "if I miss you, you'll be shot in the head!"

"I know." Merlin replied.

Why is he not afraid? Arthur held the tail of the arrow tightly. He was so nervous. He clenched his teeth and stretched his bow to the limit. "I may kill you!" he cried.

"I know." Merlin replied again. At this time, he actually closed his eyes, and there was still no expression of fear on his face.

Instead of looking at the sweat on his forehead, Arthur aimed carefully and said to Merlin as calmly as he could, "stay still."

"Come on." Merlin said calmly, "I believe you, Arthur. I'm sure you won't hurt me. "

No one had ever said anything that trusted him like this, and Arthur suddenly didn't want to hurt the boy in front of him very much. If he put down his bow and arrow, it would prove his kindness and weakness. However, neither of them is the characteristic of the future king.

"Prove yourself," Merlin said, "of being brave."

Maybe it was Merlin's calmness that infected him. The little prince's wrist was steady. He aimed his left eye at the apple on Merlin's head and breathed deeply, trying to find the critical point of concentration and relaxation. But the weight of power over life and death in his hand made him unable to calm down. What is courage? Is it brave to play with others' lives for a gamble in front of the public? Arthur wavered.

The little prince put down his bow. At this time, the aristocratic children who took Merlin's arm started to make a fuss. They induced, excited and even laughed at Arthur, hoping that Arthur would let out an arrow to complete the farce that everyone was paying attention to. At the instigation of his friends, Arthur opened the bowstring again. Then he heard Merlin say:

"Do what you have to, Arthur. You are braver than you think. "

It's strange that Arthur suddenly felt the power of an unprecedented belief. However, he did not shoot the arrow. Instead, he let go of the bowstring, threw away the bow and arrow in his hand and shouted, "I can not do it!"

The aristocratic children first opened their eyes widely in amazement, and then looked at Arthur with contempt. It's cowardly behavior. No warrior does this when his reputation is challenged. However, the little prince didn't care about their reaction at this time. He strode to Meilin and suddenly hugged each other. His body was shaking.

Arthur said, "I'm sorry. I'm really sorry. I don't want to hurt you. " Merlin smiled and patted him on the back, saying, "you did it, Arthur. There's nothing braver than to stick to your heart. "

The little prince blushed and let go of him, held out his right hand to him, politely asked, "would you like to be my friend?"

"Of course." Merlin replied with a smile.

Hand in hand, the two little boys ran to play on the green grass on the Bank of the river outside the city until the sun set, and then reluctantly waved goodbye to each other.

Merlin was Arthur's first real friend, but from that day on, Arthur never saw him again.

After the event in the market, people gradually witnessed the good nature of Prince Arthur. As Arthur grew up day by day, the people loved him more and more. Arthur obeyed his heart, became a brave and kind prince, and finally became king.

But the world of adults is so cruel. Arthur's relatives, loves, friends and ministers betrayed him and took his country. Arthur, who had nothing, was forced to escape from the palace and even had no place to put his feet on. His loyal knights were imprisoned in the castle, and his people were being cruelly oppressed and tortured by the new queen. There was nothing Arthur could do about it. He had to flee to the border alone.

On the way, Arthur met a group of mercenaries. They escorted a group of villagers to the capital to kill them, because they had announced their loyalty to Arthur. Arthur killed their leader with a sword and commanded them to release the innocent people.

A bearded mercenary sneered: "Of course we will release these useless paupers…as long as you die."

Arthur saw the villagers kneeling on the ground, the mother holding the baby, trembling all over, even the innocent child crying loudly. They begged Arthur to take back the country and drive these wicked people out of their land.

"I can't save everyone. I'm sorry. " Arthur closed his eyes and laid his sword across his neck.

"You are wrong, my friend." One hand held Arthur's wrist and stopped him.

Arthur opened his eyes. A tall, thin man with black hair and blue eyes stood in front of him. The smile on his face was so strange and familiar. "Merlin!" Cried Arthur in surprise.

"Don't lose faith. You are stronger than you think." Merlin stood beside him, staring at him with bright and firm eyes. The villagers kneeling on the ground looked up to Arthur, whose loyalty shocked him. They would believe in their king more than Arthur himself.

The mercenary laughed sarcastically: "stop daydreaming. You've been betrayed by everyone. These wastes can't help you. I'd better hand over your life. "

"Not…everyone." Arthur and Merlin looked at each other, clenched their swords again, and rushed to fight with the mercenaries.

Arthur and Merlin rescued this group of villagers, and then they rescued more people. They also rescued the knights in the dungeons, combined with hunters in the mountains, smugglers in the border, and even blacksmiths in the town. Arthur took everyone to attack the castle and finally recaptured his country. The day when King Arthur ascended the throne again was to be the day when he made Merlin counsel. But when he was crowned, he couldn't find the one who had been always at his side.

The sudden disappearance of Merlin became King Arthur's heart disease. Arthur once confided his dream to the royal doctor. In the dream, he and Merlin were together day and night. They were part of each other's life, just like two sides of the same coin. No one but Merlin can make Arthur feel the fullness of life and the infinite emptiness of loneliness.

Once Merlin said to him in a dream, "only when you need me can I show up."

Arthur replied, "I need you all the time."

Merlin smiled desperately, kissed his forehead and sent him out of his dream.

Later, Arthur would no longer dream of Merlin for a long time, but his miss for Merlin never diminished. Even just because he saw the mystery similar to Merlin in the eyes of young knight Mordred, he paid special attention to the child. However, Merlin reappeared in his dream, warning him: "don't believe in Mordred. The further away from him, the better. "

"Unless you come back to me." Arthur said.

Merlin didn't say anything.

But Merlin was right.

When Arthur was stabbed in the chest by Mordred and fell on the battlefield, Merlin finally came to him. Arthur knew it was the last time he had seen Merlin.

Merlin looked more mature, but she cried like a child. He held Arthur's bleeding wound with his hand and sobbed. Arthur raised his tired hand and wiped away his tears.”Oh, this has to stop, Merlin, Don’t be such a girl.” Arthur coaxed him. Merlin cried even more. "And no one worth your tears." Merlin cried even more and more.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry I just want to help you just to save you I don't want to kill you this time…… I will save you!!!! "

"Don't talk." Arthur said gently, " just, just hold me please ."

Merlin hugged him and cried, "I'm not leaving. Never leave you again. "

Arthur smiled hard, but a great pain came from the wound, and soon Arthur lost consciousness, and Merlin's tears fell on his cold cheek.

"Arthur! Stay with me…Arthur! "

Merlin wakes up from the dream. Everything in the forest is still, and the grass and insects are silent. The crystal beside the fire was still shimmering with silver and blue, and he was still on his way to Camelot. Dragon the great lying beside him, slowly opened his eyes.

"Young warlock, you have seen the end. Now you have the right to choose whether to let it begin, or not. "

"I've seen enough," sighed Merlin

"Then your choice?"

"The same."

The old dragon admonished one by one: "be careful, young warlock. Do not think Goddess of fortune will favor you. Once the gear of fate turns, it is impossible for anyone to stop. No one is powerful enough to change destiny, even you. "

"A sad ending it is. Every ending is. But I am not going to let sadness drive me into giving up, never. " Looking at the dim dawn in the forest gap, Merlin said slowly, "maybe I can't save him. But I have reasons to go. "

He dried the tears on his cheek and smiled firmly again: "Once Arthur needs me, I will be at his side."

Then the country boy put his knapsack on his back, walked through the woods in the morning, and set foot on the road to Camelot. Today, he will meet Prince Arthur and start their life adventure with an encounter.

This time, Merlin will never leave halfway.

**Author's Note:**

> original author: Corn_King Translator: Once_and_Future We both are Chinese. (So I owe you an apology if there's something unidiomatic)  
> original author's website link : https://the-king-of-baomidi.lofter.com ("https://"is a prefix of Chinese website, so if it doesn't work, please cancel "https://" and add your own prefix.)  
> original work's website link : https://the-king-of-baomidi.lofter.com/post/1ead1434_1c761c8f4
> 
> Thank you for reading.And it's my honor to have you be my friends.


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